Nottingham Forest pair boycott match as they endure international break nightmare

Nigeria squad left stranded in a Libyan airport for 12 hours

Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest are among the Nigerian team that has decided to skip Tuesday night’s match against Libya after the players were left detained in a Libyan airport for up to 12 hours without receiving any word from their hosts.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s late goal helped the Super Eagles defeat Libya 1-0 in Uyo during Friday’s AFCON qualifier, according to Forest officials. Awoniyi made an appearance as a replacement, and Aina played the entire game. On Tuesday night, they were scheduled to travel to Benghazi to complete the rematch.

The Nigerian team’s flight was diverted to Al Abraq, about three hours away from the players’ hotel, and they were left to wait at the airport for twelve hours without a welcome party from their Libyan counterparts. Aina and Awoniyi were joined by fellow Premier League players Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Wilfred Ndidi.
In a statement, the NFF expressed their ire at being kept in limbo and confirmed the squad’s determination to boycott. Twelve hours after arriving in Libya, the Super Eagles were still in Al Abraq Airport, according to the statement.

Twelve hours after arriving in Libya, the Nigerian delegation for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier versus Libya was still at the Al Abraq Airport. Just as the pilot was finishing his approach to the Benghazi Airport, the ValueJet chartered plane was oddly and dangerously diverted to the little airport outside of Benghazi. We are aware that the Al Abraq International Airport is exclusively utilized for Hajj-related activities.

As the host Libyan Football Federation failed to provide a welcoming team or even vehicles to transport the delegation members from the airport to their hotel, which is reportedly three hours away in Benghazi, exhausted players and officials have remained unimpressed.

“The NFF made arrangements for separate vehicles for the team but the plan was unhinged by the diversion of the aircraft. Players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home.”

Aina took to Instagram, along with a number of other Super Eagles players, to voice his frustration and demanded the Confederation of African Football take action: “You need to do better, these countries here can’t host matches nor conduct themselves accordingly or fairly. Give them the boot!!!”